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Seven killed in mine blast in eastern Ukraine

DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Seven people were killed on Friday when an explosion caused by leaking gas tore through a coal mine near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, local authorities said.

Altogether 52 miners were working at a depth of 1,300 metres when the accident occurred at the Skochinsky mine. Apart from the seven killed, an eighth miner was taken to hospital with injuries.

Energy Minister Yuri Prodan told parliament in the capital Kiev that there had been violations of safety regulations and the prosecutor general's office formally opened an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident.